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I am designing an application where I have a list of items. Some have been added by "You" (the user) and some have been added by your colleagues (everyone else)

To show who has added the item I show the name of the person that added it.

For the items you have added instead of the name I show "You".

But then the question arose. When referring to the user of the application should I use "You" or "Me"

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marked as duplicate by Matt Obee, Community♦ Oct 27 '17 at 9:17

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  • it's difficult to give a 'correct' answer to this, especially without context. does your application also have usernames? could you use that instead? – Midas Oct 27 '17 at 8:50
  • @Midas It does have usernames, But they are Email Addresses. Hence why I have put actual names as I feel it is clearer than an email that could be vague i.e. CoolDude99@gmail.com – user1 Oct 27 '17 at 8:53
  • makes sense. do you have a mockup or screenshot of the scenario? might give a bit more clarity. – Midas Oct 27 '17 at 9:01
  • @Midas I'm sorry I'm not a UX designer, I'm a developer so I don't have any mock ups. I was hoping there was a straight answer. But I guess that isn't the case with UX – user1 Oct 27 '17 at 9:12
  • Possible duplicate of "Your" vs "My" in user interfaces or 'My Account' or 'Your Account'? – Matt Obee Oct 27 '17 at 9:16
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I managed to find this link: https://medium.com/@jsaito/is-this-my-interface-or-yours-b09a7a795256 which gave these guidelines:

“My” point of view By using “my” in an interface, it implies that the product is an extension of the user. It’s as if the product is labeling things on behalf of the user. “My” feels personal. It feels like you can customize and control it.

“Your” point of view By using “your” in an interface, it implies that the product is talking with you. It’s almost as if the product is your personal assistant, helping you get something done. “Here’s your music. Here are your orders.”

When to use me: Use I, me, my, or mine when the user is interacting with the product, like clicking a button or selecting a checkbox. But only add these words if you absolutely need to for clarity.

When to use you: Use you or your when your product is asking questions, giving instructions, or describing things to the user. Just imagine what a personal assistant might say.

So I guess there is no right or wrong answer. But using the guidelines outlined in that article you can deduce your own preference.

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